Superior Vena Cava Syndrome Symptoms

Sometimes, lung tumors can press on a large vein in your body, called the superior vena cava. This can cause blood to back up in the veins and lead to:

Swelling in your face, neck, arms, and upper chest

Headaches

Dizziness

Change in consciousness (if it affects the brain)

Horner Syndrome Symptoms

Lung tumors that are located at the top part of your lungs can affect facial nerves. This is known as Horner Syndrome and can cause symptoms such as:

A drooping eyelid

A small pupil

Lack of sweating on one side of the face

Shoulder pain

Paraneoplastic Syndromes Symptoms

Paraneoplastic syndromes are medical conditions that occur in the setting of lung cancer, either because your lung cancer can create hormone-like substances that can enter your bloodstream, or occasionally because your cancer can make your immune system attack some of your own tissue, such as your nerves. These syndromes may lead to symptoms like:

Nausea or vomiting

Muscle weakness

Fluid retention

High blood pressure

High blood sugar levels

Confusion

Trouble swallowing or speaking

Blood clots

Easy bruising

Loss of balance

Seizures

Coma

What to Do if You Have Symptoms

If you experience any signs or symptoms of lung cancer that worry you, make an appointment with your doctor.

This is especially important if you have other risk factors for lung cancer, such as being a smoker or having a family history. For some people with an extensive smoking history doctors recommend a yearly CT scan to check for lung cancer.

This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information: verify here.

Advertising Notice

This Site and third parties who place advertisements on this Site may collect and use information about your visits to this Site and other websites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you. If you would like to obtain more information about these advertising practices and to make choices about online behavioral advertising, please click here.